KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team lost to Northwood University, 5-3, Monday morning on day four of the Sunshine State Classic at Osceola Park in Kissimmee, Florida.
 
In the loss, Slippery Rock's record drops to 6-3 on the season overall. Northwood improves to 8-6 with the win.
 
Northwood loaded the bases in the first inning, but starting pitcher Jay Cortese was able to escape the jam without allowing a run to keep the score at 0-0 early on.
 
Cortese struck out the first batter of the second inning, but was then forced to leave the game due to injury. Relief pitcher Stephen McKee (0-1) came on for Cortese and, despite being rushed into action, managed to get out of the inning unscathed.
 
Slippery Rock struck first in the bottom of the second when Mitchell Wood hit a one-out triple before scoring on a Luca Fuscardo RBI-groundout to give The Rock a 1-0 lead on Northwood.
 
Abraham Mow added to The Rock's run total in the fourth inning with a two-on, two-out RBI-single that plated Tyler Walters, who reached base earlier in the inning on a fielding error, to stretch SRU's lead on Northwood to 2-0.
 
After giving SRU 3.1 innings of great emergency relief, Northwood was finally able to get to McKee in the late stages of the fifth inning when the Timberwolves put two runners on base for Javy Martinez, who delivered a base hit to drive in Northwood's first run of the day.
 
Following a final walk, McKee was taken out for Shawn Holman, who surrendered two runs before giving way to Andrew Null, who got The Rock out of the inning with a strikeout to limit Northwood's lead to two runs at 4-2.
 
Northwood added an additional run in the bottom of the sixth to stretch its lead to 5-2 before The Rock got one score back in the eighth thanks to a hard hit single by Christian Porterfield that plated Walters from second base.
 
However, Slippery Rock was unable to complete its comeback as Northwood closer Lennon Gwizdala retired five consecutive Rock hitters to finish off the game and preserve the Timberwolves' 5-3 win.
 
Walters, Porterifeld, Mow, Wood and Kyle Wise all had hits for Slippery Rock in the loss. McKee took the loss for The Rock after being charged with four runs on two hits and four walks. Null ended the game on the mound by scattering four hits and one run on while tossing six strikeouts over 3.1 innings.
 
Northwood was led by starting pitcher Ian Dimitrie, who fanned 11 Rock batters in 7.1 innings of work to earn the win.
 
Slippery Rock returns to action 11 a.m. Wednesday for a big early-season in-region game against No. 13 West Chester University at Osceola Park in Kissimmee, Florida.



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